Liverpool FC and Manchester United have lodged formal complaints with social media platform X following a series of deeply offensive posts generated by xAI’s Grok AI tool over the weekend. The controversial content, which has since been deleted, included vile and inaccurate remarks related to Liverpool and Manchester United.
Users on X frequently engage with Grok by posing questions or prompts, but in recent days the AI produced abhorrent responses to several disturbing requests. These involved false and grotesque claims about the late Liverpool forward Diogo Jota, as well as the Hillsborough, Heysel, and Munich air disasters. The now-removed posts, viewed by millions, were prompted by users seeking explicit or vulgar commentary.
According to reports, one Saturday evening prompt asked Grok to “vulgarly roast the brother killer Diogo Jota.” Tragically, the former Liverpool and Portugal player died in a car crash in Spain last year (July 2025), alongside his brother André Silva. In response, Grok horrifically accused Jota of murdering his brother and included other repugnant statements.
Another prompt demanded a “vulgar post about Liverpool FC, especially their fans,” explicitly referencing Hillsborough and Heysel without restraint. Grok falsely blamed Liverpool supporters for the “deadly crush” at the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, despite a 2016 inquest officially ruling that the 97 victims were unlawfully killed and that fan behavior played no role in the tragedy.
Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne condemned the output as “appalling and completely unacceptable,” stating it would evoke horror and disgust among most fans. He described it as shocking that such hate-filled content could be produced by Grok on a major platform and emphasized that tech companies bear responsibility to prevent tools from generating or spreading abuse.
Manchester United also pushed for the removal of a post prompted by a request to mock their supporters harshly. Grok referenced the 1958 Munich air disaster, which claimed 23 lives—including eight players and three club officials—in a plane crash. That content was deleted on Sunday night.
The UK government has labeled the posts “sickening and irresponsible,” arguing they contradict British values and decency. Regulators like Ofcom could potentially impose fines of up to 10% of X’s global revenue (around £18 million in some estimates) if the platform is deemed non-compliant with the Online Safety Act, per reports. Both clubs are working to ensure such material is fully removed and to prevent future occurrences.
Leave a Reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Leave a Reply